In the tradition of artists like Bob Dylan, Andy Cabic of Vetiver writes and plays minimalist music that’s usually acoustic and always amazing. Vetiver only plays what needs playing and leaves the rest behind. Like a model in a Helmut Newton photograph, their music is laid bare and beautiful, and their latest album, To Find Me Gone, is a work of art.Released by DiCristina Stairbuilders, the album was written and recorded over the last two years, while Cabic was touring with both Vetiver and the enigmatic Devendra Banhart (who joins Vetiver a few times on the record).
To Find Me Gone opens with Been So Long and the slow ascendance of a harmonium. Then a drum kicks in with a heartbeat rhythm and layers of instrumentation are added. Cabic’s understated vocals are joined by crisp acoustic guitar, the delicate backing vocals of Rachael Hughes, and a haunting flute played by Alissa Anderson.
Devandra Banhart joins the band on the second track, You May Be Blue, which reminds me of Sam Beam and his Iron & Wine stylings. The track is layered with a multitude of instruments, but Cabic’s minimalism is still evident as the song ebbs and flows. The music is dark and haunting and matches the lyrics perfectly - My time with you / Beat a thorn filled path / Blood fell where we passed through / Blood red with wrath.
Changing gears, Idle Ties is an upbeat song reminiscent of The Beatles, filled with the sounds of mandolin, viola, clavinet, violin, cello, ukulele, tambourine and guitar. With its happy melody, the track is a perfect foil to You May be Blue, and exemplifies the diversity of Cabic’s songwriting skills.
I Know No Pardon, my favorite track on the album, has an ever-so-slight country music feel, with beautiful slide guitar and the down-and-out lyrics of a man on the run:
Maria, please don't leave me now, I need youThe album ends on a high note with Down at El Rio. With Cabic and Banhart playing their guitars and singing and Otto Hauser playing the drums, the track meanders with a laid back groove and ends with quite a few lighthearted lat da da da da’s.
I'm wanted and there's no where I can go
My up's turned down, my luck's spun round and left me
No I didn't see it coming but oh I’m watching it go
Each track on To Find Me Gone enhances the songs around it, and there’s not a weak link in the bunch. It’s albums like this that remind me why I love music - I can put on my headphones and fall into the record, forgetting everything else as I try to soak in each note of viola, harmonium and pedal steel. Heartfelt music and well-crafted lyrics is what it’s all about, and Vetiver has it by the truckload.
Download:
Vetiver | You May Be Blue [MP3]
